Moving options (Anchorage: fit in, 2014, lease)

[attrapereves]

I may be accepting a teaching position in Anchorage, but am wondering about moving options. Obviously selling all of our stuff except for clothes is cheapest, but I have some things that are not replaceable and mean a lot to me.

So far, I have come up with the following. 1 being the cheapest, 3 being most:

1) Rent a moving truck, fill it up, tow our car, and drive all the way. Cost should be around $1500 for the truck, plus gas.

2) Rent a moving truck, drive to Washington, transfer stuff to those barge cubes, then drive the rest of the way up in our car.

3) Hire a moving company to do all the work.

Are there any other options?

[6.7traveler]

I always make sure everything can fit in or on my vehicle. If that is not possible in your case I would rent the truck and drive all the way up. It is an initiation of sorts , you won't regret it. Good luck.

[AKStafford]

I've done 1 & 2. I'd suggest #1. Plan for unexpected costs... Get a copy of The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner .
What time of year would you be making this move?

[attrapereves]

Originally Posted by AKStafford

I've done 1 & 2. I'd suggest #1. Plan for unexpected costs... Get a copy of The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner .
What time of year would you be making this move?

Most likely around the first week of June. My lease here ends around that time.

[Dakster]

Drove up three times last year - May into June, July, and October into November. I rented a Uhaul truck and put as much as I could in it and drove up.

The Uhaul was $3700 (I moved from South FLorida) for the 26' one. And gas cost around $2k. Gas is cheaper today, BUT who knows what it will be in June. Plan on 6 mpg towing a car. They get 10 mpg empty going downhill with the transmission in neutral.

Having said that, it is still faster and cheaper to drive all the way... THe other option that you didn't mention was putting the uhaul with YOU on a ferry via the Alaska Marine HIghway... Still expensive and still takes longer... But it is another option.

Don't bother with budget, penske, or ryder. When I checked in October of 2014 they won't let you go to Alaska....

Another option that helps is flat rate envelopes. I flat rate mailed some small heavy items (Mostly tools)....

If you drive thru Canada know what you can and cannot bring or what you need to do to bring it. Guns, Pets, and fresh food are good examples, but not all inclusive. If you have every been arrested or charged with DUI - I'd check with CBSA to see if you are eligible to go into Canada. There's more, but this should get you started.

[attrapereves]

Are you allowed to bring pets if they have immunization records?

I'll probably UPS overnight my firearms to myself.

Also, how much do those barge cubes cost? Would you load them in Bellingham, WA? Where would you unload them?

[HannahTravels]

Pets need a certificate of health that is less than 30 days old, as well as immunization records. The main thing is that border patrol will ask about food. You aren't allowed to bring pet food in/out of the country. I'm guessing it is some kind of agricultural thing? I have had food confiscated before when leaving Canada. They were pretty serious about it.

Also, I'd do the UHaul route. Especially if you are driving in June. It'll be a great trip if you take your time and really enjoy the scenery. You can mail totes to yourself too. It gets a little spend-y, but I've done it and it has always gone smoothly. Good luck!

[stiffnecked]

My daughter just moved from Anchorage back to Oklahoma City. She shipped 2000 lbs. of freight on Lynden Transport and the cost was $2600 delivered to her doorstep. They did have to take it to the Lynden dock in Anchorage. It would be worth checking into for a south to north move such as the one you are describing. Lyden transports all across the US to & from Alaska.

Give them a call and don't rely on email for describing what you kind of service you are looking for.

Trucking to Alaska, Freight Service to Alaska | Lynden Transport

[riceme]

That is not a bad rate for household goods out of Alaska. Of course, the concern is always the condition in which your belongings arrive...

OP: you cannot generally just UPS Red your firearms to yourself. You typically have to ship them FFL to FFL.

[6.7traveler]

Originally Posted by riceme

That is not a bad rate for household goods out of Alaska. Of course, the concern is always the condition in which your belongings arrive...

OP: you cannot generally just UPS Red your firearms to yourself. You typically have to ship them FFL to FFL.

I was going to say but wasn't 100% sure..... I had always shipped FFL to FFL, I know gunrunners in anchorage didn't charge me anything to do this, but that was several years ago, and I am good with words , so YMMV. Anyways I wouldn't imagine it would be that big of a fee. I have always had guns that Canadians frowned upon (they hate handguns )... But I think a basic shotgun or hunting rifle can be declared at the border, you would have to fill out the proper forms before you cross and do your own research on this. Canada Welcomes You!

Make sure you can pass a background check again because it will be the same as buying them again with the FFL route, they have to call the background check in.... Also no DUI's for Canada or excessive speeding tickets and some other rules apply for border crossing. I imagine you wouldn't have a problem with this due to your teacher status Good Luck.